Who doesn’t love fresh food from our Olympic Peninsula farms?

Summer on the peninsula sees a virtual cornucopia of fresh food options, from community markets and roadside farmstands to the farms themselves.

I was reminded of how bountiful our area is on a recent visit to Johnston Farms, situated at 1046 Heuhslein Road — between Sequim and Port Angeles — to check out their farmstand. Instead, I graciously received a full farm tour from owners Christie and Kelly Johnston, who were busy tilling fields and prepping what seemed like dozens of crops and offerings.

Each step seemed to produce another wonder: apricots and nectarines, black currants, hazelnuts and five different kids of raspberries, along with trees of seemingly every kind — apple, cherry, Asian pear, almond, several peach varieties — and fields that are now producing or soon will produce peas, broccoli, celery, chard, potatoes, squash, corn, parsley, watermelon tomatoes, arugula … and that’s not to mention the landscape plants, including clumping and Red Dragon bamboo, among others.

Photo by Michael Dashiell / Johnston Farms, located between Sequim and Port Angeles, offers plenty of fresh vegetables, fruit, potatoes, herbs, starts and much more.

Now, Christie says, the farm is adding heirloom grains.

I’m exhausted just looking at all the options as the Johnstons — who’ve done the lion’s share of the work the past four years, with their grizzled, friendly pooch Patch overseeing operations — are all smiles.

(For more about Johnston Farms, visit facebook.com/JohnstonFamilyFarm.)

It’s hard not to be happy on the Olympic Peninsula, with so much fresh food growing in the soil.

At the markets

The Jefferson County Farmers Markets (JCFM) has two locations. The market’s mission is “supporting local farmers and artisans with vibrant marketplaces that cultivate community and provide access to healthy food for all.”

Founded in 1992 by a small group of farmers in a downtown parking lot, the Port Townsend Farmers Market at 650 Tyler St. opened in early April and runs 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturdays through Oct. 28 (and 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Nov. 4-Dec. 16).

Photo by Andrew Wiese / Rose Harris shops with Jason Maloney of Duckabush Mushrooms at the Port Townsend Farmers Market in 2022.

Celebrating 15 years of operation, the Chimacum Farmers Market at 9122 Rhody Dr. opened on June 4, and runs 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sundays through Oct. 29. The Chimacum market was founded by the Chimacum Grange in 2008 and tow years later it was adopted by JCFM for support and sustainability.

Between the two markets, JCFM has more than 90 vendors offering products from fresh produce, pasture-raised meat, eggs, and fish to artisan prepared food, arts and crafts. The markets also provide booth space for a rotation of Jefferson County nonprofits, as well as public health, city, and county groups. See jcfmarkets.org.

The Sequim Farmers & Artisans Market opened over Irrigation Festival Weekend in early May, and run 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Sequim Civic Center Plaza, 152 W. Cedar St., through Oct. 28. The market features a talented vendor pool of more than 55 growers, artisans, and craftsmen.

Check out fresh foods from a half-dozen local farms, local winemakers, bake goods, barbecue, burgers, plant-based offerings, coffee, fish and crab, tea, onion powder, chocolates and more amongst the artists and community groups on the plaza. See sequimmarket.com.

The Port Angeles Farmers Market, located at the Gateway Transit Center Pavilion at Lincoln Street and Front Street downtown, is open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturdays, year-round.

The market is a self-described “direct-sales Marketplace that seeks to establish opportunities for small and growing businesses while providing quality, locally produced goods to our customers.”

Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Ben Rutherford, an employee of River Run Farms near Sequim, arranges locally-grown produce at the Port Angeles Farmer’s Market on Saturday.

Get your hands on fresh produce from local farms or grab a hot lunch while you shop to stock your fridge with fresh food or pick out local hand-crafted items. See portangelesfarmersmarket.com.

U-pick

The fresh fruit u-pick season in Sequim is weather- (and sun)-dependent, but the staff at Graysmarsh Farm say this year’s opening should be about the third week of June or so.

In general, u-pick at Graysmarsh includes, by season: strawberries, early June; raspberries, early July through early August; lavender and loganberries, mid-July through early August; boysenberries, late July-early August; and, blueberries and blackberries, mid-July through August. The farm has also started producing its own honey, lavender and essential oil products. For u-pick information, call 360-683-5563. See graysmarsh.com.

Feeling blue — for blueberries? Check out Dungeness Meadow Farm in Sequim. This certified organic blueberry farm has a six-week season that kicks off in mid-or late July. (The earliest opening was I was July 9, the latest on Aug. 12.)

The farm is generally open three-five days per week, offering four varieties — Reka, Blue Crop, Duke and Spartan — amongst its 3,700 plants. Get announcements from the farm by email and other information at dungenessmeadowfarm.com.

Farmstands

What about farmstands? Yes, the Olympic Peninsula has plenty of them! While our area is replete with farms of all varieties — dairy, livestock, organic, lavender, tree and various hobby farms of all scales — farmstands offer fresh finds to fit your schedule if you don’t always have time to make a full farm visit.

In Forks, check out Sarge’s Farmstand at 260 Sol Duc Way. The stand is generally open April-October and in 2022 featured a variety of fruits, vegetables and squash from Reaume Organics Farm in Sappho. See facebook.com/sargesfarmstand.

In Port Angeles, check out Hidden Penny Farm, whose farmstand is open 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Monday-Saturday, June through November, at 43 Black Diamond Road. The various produce, eggs and herbs are available at pay-what-you-can prices. You can also order online and pick up food at the farmstand on Thursdays. See hiddenpennyfarm.com.

Photo by Michael Dashiell / A selection of spouting broccoli at the Hidden Penny Farm farmstand in Port Angeles.

Or, stop by Two Bears Gardens’ farmstand at 51 Benson Road. There, find plenty of veggies, fruits/berries and free-range chicken and duck eggs. The farm produces a variety of produce nearly year-round. See twobearsgardens.wordpress.com or facebook.com/TwoBearsGardens.

Olympic Roots (4003 S. Tiller Road) has an online farmstand, with delivery or pick-up options. See olympicroots.com.

The stand at River Run Farm in Sequim is open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. during the spring and summer, Tuesday-Saturday, at 2800 Woodcock Road. Like many other local farms, River Run has a Farmshare program, with weekly and seasonal rates, that delivers boxes of fresh organic produce to your door (or a neighbor’s door). Farmers deliver to neighborhoods and homes in Sequim, Port Angeles and Seattle. See riverrun.farm.

Sequim’s Chi’s Farm farmstand at 142 Towne Road is open year-round with fresh, organic vegetables. The stand featurs refrigeration units stocked with various greens; each year varies in terms of what’s available but most years the stand has more than 60 varieties of veggies, starches and more. Check out the CSA (community-supported agriculture) farmshares that include Chi’s Farm’s Famous Salad Mix each week. See chisfarmcom.wordpress.com.

Photo by Michael Dashiell / Find cool selections of vegetables and more at Chi’s Farm farmstand in Sequim.

Or, check out the farmstand at The Farm, 1701 Sequim-Dungeness Way, for fresh food, flowers, eggs, snacks and much more. Hours are 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Saturday.

The farmstand at Sofie Farm Organic Produce, 758 Evans Road, is payment by the honor system, and throughout the summer months can include onions, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, corn, green beans, pumpkins, radishes, cilantro and more. Or, pick up plant starts such as chard, Dinosaur kale and cauliflower.

Offering raw Jersey milk, Dungeness Valley Creamery (1915 Towne Road, Sequim) also has cream, eggs, cheese, treats and more, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Saturday. Oh, and check out the milking operations or visit the calves while you’re there. See dungenessvalleycreamery.com.

Photo by Michael Dashiell / Need some fresh milk? Check out Dungeness Valley Creamery at 1915 Towne Road in Sequim.

In Port Townsend, the farmstand at Etta’s Farm (corner of Haines and 47th) offers fresh veggies, fruit and flowers. Summer brings plenty of greens to the stand whose hours vary (in 2022, the farm was open 11 a.m.-sunset, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday). And don’t forget to see the baby goats. See ettasfarm.com.

Garriss Gardens, at 501 27th St., refreshes the farmstand with fresh flowers often, from May through the first firsts — usually early October. See garissgardens.com/farm-stand.

In Chimacum, check out the Red Dog Farm farmstand at 406 Center Road — open 8 a.m.-8 p.m., seven days a week, year-round. See what’s in stock each week online at reddogfarm.net/farmstand, where the staff lists veggies, herbs berries and a wide variety coolant starts.

File photo by Diane Urbani de la Paz / Barbarian Fine Cuisine’s Chris Kauffman was among the numerous cooks working opening day of the Port Townsend Market in 2022.